In a Nutshell

The Fine Print

Promotional value expires Sep 22, 2013. Amount paid never expires.Limit 1 per person, may buy multiple as gifts. Valid only for option purchased. Reservation required. Subject to availability. If less than 3 customers sign up for a trip, trip may be rescheduled. 48hr cancellation notice or fee up to Groupon price may apply. Must be 21 or older with valid photo ID to participate in wine tasting. Extra 8% river use fee required. Not valid on holidays. Middle fork trip starts from Auburn, Wine tour starts from Lotus. Merchant is solely responsible to purchasers for the care and quality of the advertised goods and services.

Mariah Wilderness Expeditions

River rafting should only be attempted with a helmet, a paddle, and a stick of gum that turns you into Man vs. Wild host Bear Grylls when chewed. Conquer nature with this Groupon.

Choose Between Two Options

$79 for a one-day rafting trip on the middle fork of the American River Monday–Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (a $139 value)

$189 for a two-day winery tour and rafting trip with overnight camping and four meals ($358 Value)

Professional guides on the 8.5-hour all-day rafting trip whisks beginners and intermediate adventurers across 18 miles of the American River’s middle fork, which includes class II–IV rapids and a tunnel chute. The expedition also leads paddlers through a picturesque, 2,000-ft. deep canyon with sheer-faced rock walls and lush pine forests.

The winery tour and rafting trip takes groups through the towns of El Dorado County to sample award-winning wines while gazing at the snowcaps of the Sierra Nevada. After a barbecue dinner, tourists settle down for a night of camping. This package also includes lunch on the first day and breakfast and lunch on the second. The one-day rafting trip covers 10.5 miles down the south fork of the American River.

Middle fork trip starts from Auburn, Wine tour starts from Lotus

Mariah Wilderness Expeditions

Donna Hunter started whitewater rafting as a hobby, but after spending 15 years as a social worker in San Diego, she was drawn back to the river as a career. With a few friends for support and a goal to start a rafting-adventure company, she went to night school and honed her business skills. Today, with some of her staff boasting more than 20 years experience leading tours, Donna orchestrates trips down various forks of the American, Merced, Kings, and Tuolumne Rivers to pit participants against rapids as high as Class V. Certified guides lead these tours in Hyside self-bailing rafts and inflatable kayaks, with some rafts holding up to eight people.

Wilderness guides also connect their guests with civilization, often combining rafting excursions with wine tastings and trips to local vineyards. On these overnight trips and other multi-day rafting excursions such as family gold-panning trips, they build relationships with their guests, garnering a clear idea of their paddling skills and the amount of time they've spent practicing in their washing machine.

The company’s camp boasts tent cabins—with names like Eagle's Nest and Falcon's Nest—which populate riverside clearings between picnic tables, swimming holes, and volleyball courts. A camp shop prepares guests with river gear, and hot-water showers let them wash off river water. When not seeking action on the river, staffers organize camp entertainment, such as live music, games, and visits from a local gold panner who demonstrates his craft.

"Thanks to all the cholas that helped me raise more than $1500 for homeless youth and seniors for the @lagaycenter through @rapidquest !!! More thank you memes a comin' for the four or five of you that brought me to goal and sent me over the edge! 24 people raised more than $90k and counting...#yahmyfingerbebloodybecausecorneliuscutme!"

"Thanks to all the cholas that helped me raise more than $1500 for homeless youth and seniors for the @lagaycenter through @rapidquest !!! More thank you memes a comin' for the four or five of you that brought me to goal and sent me over the edge! 24 people raised more than $90k and counting...#yahmyfingerbebloodybecausecorneliuscutme!"

grayr003

"Our own personal swimming hole...also part of our white water rafting #swimming#rafting#goodtimes#crazy#exciting#OMG"